91st Academy Awards

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91st Academy Awards Posted On 11 February 2019

Here’s a quick look at everything you need to know about the 91’st Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars

Held on the 24th of February at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, this year’s ceremony is predicted to be the best yet. However, who will be presenting the awards is currently unclear, after confirmed host Kevin Hart dropped out. Hart was branded homophobic after a series of old tweets re-surfaced and, following backlash from the public, stepped down from the position. Reports now suggest that several high-profile stars will take the comedian’s place; however, at the time of going to press, this has yet to be confirmed by organisers.

The Oscars are known for their unpredictability and after a year of outstanding films and performances, it’s difficult to predict who will come out on top. However, here is the rundown of the current favourites to receive this year’s coveted awards.

The Nominees

Best picture

It’s no real surprise that the hugely successful, ‘A Star is Born’, has led the way in most Oscar predictions since its release. Featuring Lady Gaga in her film debut, along-side Bradley Cooper, the film has been a worldwide box office hit – even though it’s the third remake of this tear jerker.

Another film that has been creating an Oscar buzz since its release in February 2018, is ‘Black Panther’. The film smashed box office records for that month and has continued to gain popularity since. Noted for its predominantly black cast, Black Panther could be the first super hero movie to ever win an award at the Oscars.

Steering away from the front runners, could there be a surprise win? According to Forbes, absolutely, with the dark horses ‘BlacKKlansman’ and ‘Beautiful Boy’ named as possible victors.

Best actress

It’s a strong night for us Brits in the category for Best Actress, with nominations going to; Oliva Coleman and Rachel Weisz in ‘The Favourite’ and Emily Blunt in ‘Mary Poppins Returns’ and ‘A Quiet Place’. The top forerunner, however, is Glenn Close for her leading role in ‘The Wife’. Based on the best-selling novel by Meg Wolitzer, the film follows an under-appreciated wife of 40 years. Close is predicted to win her first Oscar despite this being her sixth nomination. She recently received the Golden Globe award for her performance; normally this is a good indication of Oscar success.

Melissa McCarthy has, however, been tipped as a surprise winner for her role in, ‘Can You Ever Forgive Me’. This is a film based on the true story of Lee Israel who forged letters from literary figures and sold them to unsuspecting buyers. Critics have praised her performance as a move away from the slapstick comedy she has previously been associated with.

Best actor

A surprise win at the Golden Globes was for Rami Malek, who plays Freddie Mercury in the hugely successful, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, has meant he is now the bookies’ favourite to scoop the award for best actor, edging ahead of previous favourite, Bradley Cooper – who not only played the lead role in ‘A Star is Born’ but also directed the movie.

Also in the running for best actor are Christian Bale for his performance as Vice President Dick Cheney in ‘Vice’ and Viggo Mortensen for his role as a racist bouncer hired to drive a black musician through the deep south in ‘Green Book’.

Less likely but still possible to cause a surprise in this category could be Willem Dafoe for ‘At Eternity’s Gate’, John David Washington for ‘BlaKkKlansman’ or even Robert Redford for ‘The Old Man and the Gun’.

Best animated feature

Twenty-five films were reportedly submitted for this gong. However, the award for best animated feature is likely to be a head-to-head fight between Wes Anderson’s ‘Isle of Dogs’ and Pixar’s long awaited ‘The Incredibles 2’.

Another contender is Sony animation pictures ‘Spider Man: into the Spider Verse’. Although tipped for success in this category, Spider man faces strong headwind. Namely that it’s a Marvel superhero film and voters have traditionally been reluctant to reward previous super hero characters.

The best song

A big part of any film is the music, so it is not surprising that the best song award attracts a lot of attention. This year there is a wide variety of musical styles represented, from country to hip hop via epic ballads and feel good classics. The favourite to achieve success is ‘Shallow’ sung by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper in ‘A Star is Born’. However, another close contender is Suspirium. Written by ex-Radiohead member, Thom Yorke, it features in the foreign horror film ‘Suspiria’ Others in the running are ‘All the Stars’ by Kendrick Lamar, SZA, Sounwave and Al Shux from the film ‘Black Panther’.